


Her Becoming

by ArtissR0pita



Series: one... or two? [1]
Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: also i love draal but idk when i'll stick him in here, and i need to get to know the characters better, but i'm just gonna make stuff up because that's more fun, claire is super smart and would make a great trollhunter, i would use this fic as an excuse to rewatch trollhunters, jim is a big idiot, jim wants to trust strickler bc that's his Dad, please save me how do i tag, strickler is evil but i still love him, trollhunter!claire au, unbecoming au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-06-26 01:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15652875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtissR0pita/pseuds/ArtissR0pita
Summary: A sort of "Unbecoming" AU where Claire becomes the Trollhunter, and Jim is full of confusion (as is the rest of the crew)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hoo boy howdy! i've been really into trollhunters recently and had this idea floating through my head
> 
> i still don't know for sure where i'm going with this, so feel free to leave suggestions! 
> 
> basically unbecoming + trollhunter!claire, may get some jlaire in later chapters idk yet

_ “You’re getting what I never had- a second chance.” _

 

At the sound of his alarm, Jim bolted out of bed, startled, terrified, trying to figure out where he was. So many thoughts were racing through his head  _ (trapped in a cage, fearing for his life, where was Toby?) _ , but it was as if everything was a dream. He remembered he promised “something special” for Toby. Something special? Oh. Yes, the meatloaf. He could still get that done if he hurried. 

 

Jim went about his morning as if in a daze. Was it all just an elaborate dream? He could remember things fairly well, but if he chased after them too long, they were gone. He shook his head to clear it, packing up for the day. (He was still in school, gosh it was still  _ September _ , where had the time gone?) He checked on his mother one last time, a soft smile ghosting over his lips. At least she was still the same.

 

He was grabbing his bike from the garage when something skittered, and he saw the trash can knocked over. “Raccoons,” he said to himself. But something in the back of his head said otherwise. What, then, if not raccoons?  _ (Goblins _ , his mind whispered.)

 

“Morning, Jimbo!” Toby. Oh, what a familiar face! If Jim were slightly more out of it, he would’ve crushed his friend and sobbed. As it was, he tossed him the bag of lunch, straightening the overturned garbage bin. Toby rooted through the lunch, sniffing with delight. “You’ve outdone yourself again, Chef Jim. Ooh, is that a hint of cardamom I detect?  Risky choice.” He refolded the bag, stuffing it away as he climbed back onto his bike. “Now, hurry up! We’re already running late!”

 

Jim chuckled, adjusting his seat as they began to pedal away. Something was itching in his mind, and he was torn between taking the shortcut through the canal, or downright avoiding it. Was there a storm or something? The canal shouldn’t be flooded…. Toby’s voice came back to him, “Should we take the shortcut? You know, live a little, like you always say?”

 

“Nah, let’s take the long way today, Tobes,” Jim responded, pedalling harder. Toby’s gasping breaths followed him. As they sped over the bridge, Jim glanced carelessly over the side. What he saw stopped him short, Toby flying past him, before trying to backpedal. A pile of rocks was strewn across the canal, just in the shadow of the bridge. Someone was leaning over the rocks, someone Jim instantly recognised. But what was she…?

 

Feeling slightly ruffled, and only vaguely like someone was watching him, James Lake Jr. and his best friend Tobias raced the rest of the way to school. Toby kept giving him the side-eye as they walked to class. Jim couldn’t pay attention the entire time, his thoughts constantly racing back to the rubble in the canal. His thoughts had reorganised, and he could remember clearly what was going on. That blue glint had sent everything back. Jim knew it wasn’t all a dream. But was he making the right choice? He knew he said the amulet made a mistake choosing him, but was choosing  _ her _ any better? Jim had to keep reminding himself that they weren’t friends yet anyway. He wanted to curse himself. Here he was, completely out of it, and thinking about Claire Nuñez, and not in the way Toby usually teased him for. 

 

When the teacher suddenly startled him, asking his opinion on Herodotus’ tactics, Jim nearly leapt out of his seat, earning a few laughs from across the classroom. Jim’s eyes narrowed as he made eye contact with the taller man. “Strickler….” he practically growled. Mr Strickler’s eyes widened in surprise. 

 

The bell rang, leading to a rush of students pouring out of the room. Jim knocked his papers off his desk in his hurry to stand. Mr Strickler bent down to help him, and Jim felt a pang in his heart. He wasn’t the Trollhunter now, but Strickler was still a Changeling. “Jim, a word, if you please? You’ve been rather distracted recently. I know things must be difficult for you, and I’m long overdue for a conversation with your mother-” he was cut off by Jim practically leaping away from him. The young student brandished a pencil at his teacher.

“Stay away from my mother!” His eyes were wide, panicked. Mr Strickler reached a hand out to try to steady him, perhaps comfort him. Jim jerked away. He refused to meet his teacher’s gaze as he hurriedly shoved papers and books into his backpack. “Sorry, Mr Strickler,” he huffed, pulling his hair. “I just have a lot on my mind right now.” He made his escape, bookbag open, papers fluttering after him. Walter Strickler stared after his  _ (favourite) _ student, still clutching a pencil. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Jim and Toby were in PE later, Toby trying to haul himself up the rope while avoiding catching his braces in the loose edges. “You all right, Jimbo? You’ve been really out of it today. Is Dr L okay? I know your Spanish project isn’t due til next Thursday, so you can’t have bombed that, Mr Strickler wasn’t mean to you (although you were kind of funny, Jim, since when have you called him Strickler?), and we’re only just now in gym class, sooo…. Spill it dude. We’re best friends! You know you can trust me, right?” He heaved himself up another few inches, panting. Jim sat cross-legged on the floor, head in his hands (definitely not spotting Toby, whoops). He was still so preoccupied with, well, everything. (Was it the right decision, really? To give up trollhunting?) His eyes fell on Claire going to sit on the bleachers with her friends. She was nervously fidgeting with something, but he couldn’t see what it was. How could he talk to her without sounding weird? 

 

“Hello-o? Earth to Jimbo?” Toby’s voice was strained.

 

Jim waved back at him, distracted. He stood up, going over to talk to Claire. Toby fell onto the mat behind him with a soft  _ thump _ . Jim took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. “Buenas noches,” he managed. The three girls stared at him.

“You speak Spanish?” Claire asked, only a hint of doubt in her voice. Jim only stammered in response. Now that he was here, he couldn’t figure out anything to say. He scratched the back of his head nervously. Darci rolled her eyes, pulling Claire up with her. Shannon stood with them, following Darci off the bleachers as the taller girl scoffed.

 

Claire tucked a loose lock of hair back behind her ear. With a shy smile, she pulled at a flyer for the school play. “Do you like Shakespeare?” Jim looked confused.

 

“Shakespeare?”

 

“For the school play. We’re having trouble getting boys to audition,” she rolled her eyes slightly at that. Jim accepted the flyer from her, still astounded he made it over there. Claire smiled at him again, finally following her friends to the locker room. Jim watched her as she left.

 

He was pushing his hair off his forehead. “Hasta huevo,” he finally choked out. He was definitely failing this Spanish test.  _ (And befriending Claire, and warning her about trollhunting business.) _ He sighed in exasperation.

 

The rest of school breezed by, with Jim wondering how he had gotten to the end of the day. It was only as he was biking home with Toby chattering away, subtle rustles in the bushes, that he remembered another way to talk to Claire. When they got to their street, Jim rushed a hurried goodbye to Toby, then raced over to Claire’s house. The sun was still setting, which gave him hopefully enough time to catch the two trolls he knew should be arriving to greet their new Trollhunter. 

 

It looked like he still had some luck on his side. He tossed his bike to the side, wheel still spinning, and quietly snuck through the foliage around his not-yet-but-was-once-girlfriend’s house. There they were, so warm and familiar. “Blinky!” Jim whisper-cried. He was so glad to see that square blue frame. And the looming fuzzy form of AAARRRGGHH!!! Jim wasn’t sure he’d ever get over seeing that big friend wandering around alive again.

Unfortunately, Jim forgot that these two trolls did not know him. At all. Blinkous Galadrigal spun around, his six eyes searching, widening in shock and horror as they landed on the skinny human. “Oh dear,” was all he managed, one arm lightly swatting at his bigger friend. 

 

AAARRRGGHH!!! reacted in much the same way, emitting a quiet, “Uh oh.” Jim could shake himself. This wasn’t going well at all. And Claire would need all the help she could get, and who better to help than Blinky? He had always been so good to Jim. 

 

“Wait!” He hissed, raising his hands up. “I promise I can explain. But, uh, maybe this is a bad time. Just, be nice to Claire, please? Go easy on her. Please?” Jim was definitely going to smack himself later. Was there anyway he could go back (again) and not mess this up? Maybe he could still salvage this. Maybe sidle his way in, the way Claire joined him when he was the Trollhunter. (That was weird to think about. Was “was” the right word? He was never Trollhunter in this timeline. Was this an alternate universe? Or had Unkar used the undo button a lot of times? He really hoped he could figure things out. But that was for later.) She knew Spanish, right? Maybe he could ask her for some help with Spanish, “accidentally” run into the trolls, get into Trollmarket, and just become part of the team. Or should he go the  _ Romeo and Juliet _ route again? Or both? They definitely needed to get closer.

 

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! were still staring at each other in confusion, glancing back and forth between safety and the strange human. “Okay, I’m just going to leave. I know you have a lot you’ll need to cover with Claire, but don’t worry! She’s a fast learner. I’ll, uh, just be going, then, I guess.” He pointed back over his shoulder, then sprinted for it. (He wasn’t a very good sprinter.)

 

AAARRRGGHH!!! almost chased after him, but Blinky held him back. “Although it is rather troubling, my dear friend, the young human child was right. We will have much to discuss with our new Trollhunter, and I am sure she will indeed have many questions. We will have to do our best to provide her with the answers! Not to worry. No worries at all.” He was still troubled, though, worrying his lower lip as he pushed the large green troll towards the well-lit suburban house. “Perhaps we will see this confounded blue-clad human again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if this is moving too fast but next chapter is gonna be some of claire's pov!! i'm gonna try not to repeat everything that happened this chapter, but! who knows
> 
> i'm mostly going off of what happens in the show, but i'm gonna tie in some things from the book (like AAARRRGGHH!!! being a girl, and i miiiiight give jim an uncle jack???? that might be for another story though we'll see) however, this is definitely gonna be canon divergent!!!! claire's the trollhunter, she's definitely going to do things differently. i think i'm gonna make darci get in on this, but not mary or shannon. whoops. also jim's a big dork who wants to help but has no words. will he join claire in her trollhunting business???? will blinky and vendel lock him up on suspicions of being a changeling??????? will jim ignore strickler's changeling-ness in favour of just wanting some paternal comfort???????????? find out next time
> 
> also yes please send feedback!! i love hearing other people's thoughts and ideas i love you guys uwu


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw yeah getting to see stuff from claire's view. just a heads-up, towards the end of the chapter there are references/implications of claire having mild unspecified impulse control disorder. nothing like. out there or anything. (it's like. mentions of poor impulse control- hair pulling/twisting/cutting, and minor skin pulling) it's just part of my reasoning for all her barrettes sfshj

When Claire had gotten up that morning, she had expected another typical day of school. It had been a beautiful morning, sunny blue skies with nary a cloud in sight, a crisp, refreshing breeze hinting at the fall to come;  she had woken up earlier than usual, and decided to walk to school. It had been  _so_ refreshing. She had heard that she could cut through the canal to get to school faster, so she decided to take the shortcut (she was early anyway, what would it hurt?) That was where everything changed. 

 

The sunlight that morning was bright, making the shadows of the strange, huge pile of rubble standing before her that much darker. She squinted against the harsh glare, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes. When the voice said her name, she screeched. 

 

_ “Claire Nuñez.” _

 

Okay, that was definitely weird. She had never heard this voice before, and she couldn’t see anyone around her that could be saying it, either. She glanced around again.

 

_ “Claire Nuñez.” _

 

She took a step back. “I-I don’t know who you are, or what you want, or, or how you know my name,” her voice broke, words trailing away. Her hand tightened around the strap of her bookbag. Her eyes kept darting furtively around the canal, but kept coming back to the pile of broken rocks. A bright glint of light caught her eye. She looked around again, walking towards the rocks. When she got close, Claire paused for a second, waiting. 

 

When nothing happened, she started gently nudging rocks away. They all kept tumbling over each other, small pieces of gravel, fine dust blowing away, larger pieces rolling every which way. But, ultimately, it remained just a pile of rocks. She shrugged her shoulders, ready to give up. Claire readjusted the strap of her bookbag, walking away. 

 

_ “Claire Nuñez.” _

 

The girl in question whirled around so fast that a barrette fell out of her hair. “Who-who said that?” One of the rocks she had kicked fell to the concrete ground, revealing a soft glow of blue light. She reached one hand out tentatively, her fingers curling back instinctively. Taking a quick inhale, she grabbed the strange object and ran back a few steps. When nothing else happened, she looked at the silver shape intently, unsure of what it was. In the distance, she could just hear the school bell ring. That startled her back to the present and she bolted, cursing herself in broken Spanish, about to possibly be late for the first time in six years.

 

 

 

  
  
  


Claire drifted through school in a half-daze, her thoughts always racing back to the strange… pocket watch? astrolabe? thing in her purse. In History, instead of researching the Peloponnesian War as instructed, she found herself trying to find information of the glowing blue item. No search results yielded anything worthwhile, most being toys or blatantly faked, and Claire wanted to bang her head into the desk. Apparently she wasn’t the only one distracted, though, as Mr Strickler reprimanded another student for not paying attention, the poor kid nearly falling out of his seat in surprise. Claire bit back a smile, pushing her work into her bag, knowing the bell would ring soon. Mary leaned over and asked to copy her notes later, Claire answering with a noncommittal sort of noise. When she glanced back over to her teacher, it was all she could do not to laugh at the look of pure shock on his face. She didn’t know what the other kid had done, but apparently it was something completely out of the blue. A chubby kid in a sweater was frantically pulling the other kid’s sleeves and trying to put his materials away. Claire had seen those two around (they shared several classes) but surely they weren’t troublemakers? Judging by the round kid’s actions, no, they weren’t.

 

When the bell rang, Claire swung her bag over her shoulder, heading out the door with Mary and Darci, Shannon tailing behind on their way to gym class.

  
  


Claire didn’t really hate PE, not like other kids, but it certainly wasn’t her favourite class.  She would begrudgingly admit that she, too, hated the rope climbing. She had stronger legs than arms, and hoisting herself up a rope that scraped her palms raw was certainly not at the top of her list of “fun things to do”. She was glad she, Darci, and Shannon had already finished this part of the test and that Coach Lawrence was letting them just chill. As they moved to the bleachers, Claire contemplated telling her friends about the mysterious timepiece, her hand subconsciously clutching the smooth surface, thumb tracing over the hands and small indentations around the edge. 

 

Darci and Shannon sat on either side of her, chatting about small things (did you  _ see _ Seamus when he ran into History instead of Math?), Claire just tuning them out as she thought about what the artifact could possibly be. Darci nudged her shoulder.

 

“Yo, girl, you okay? You’ve been way out of it all morning. I just asked you about  _ RoJu _ auditions. You ready? We all know you’re going to get Juliet.” Claire was pushed out of her thoughts. Darci and Shannon were looking at her with mild concern.

 

“What? Oh, you really think so? I don’t know…. Miss Janeth can be really picky. What if there’s someone just phenomenally better than me?” Claire started picking at the edge of her binder. Shannon bumped her knee.

 

“Don’t say things like that! Of course you’ll get the part. Not only are you a great actress, you’ve got the passion, Claire. There’s no way you won’t get the role.” She smiled encouragingly at her. 

 

Claire found herself getting lost in her friends’ warm encouragement, and they slowly moved on to other topics of conversation. She laughed at their jokes, put in her two-cents on the gossip, and listened intently as Shannon told them about a book she was reading for extra-curriculars. The talking faltered for a second; when Claire looked up she saw why.

 

“Buenas noches,” a skinny kid with shy eyes slid up to them. 

 

“You speak Spanish?” Claire asked, slightly doubtful. It was afternoon, why did he say  _ noches _ ? The boy sputtered, stammering and flushing bright red. Darci stood up next to her, as if to say,  _ come on, girl, he’s not worth it _ . Shannon followed her slowly. As they walked off the bleachers, Claire stood up, too, fishing through her binder. “Do you like Shakespeare?”

 

The boy looked confused. “Shakespeare?” He blinked a couple of times. Claire forced the flyer into his hand, smiling gently. 

 

“For the school play. We’re having trouble getting boys to audition,” she laughed lightly, tucking her stray hair back. The boy just stood, dumbfounded, wide blue eyes blinking owlishly after her. 

 

She was almost through the locker room doors when he finally said, “Hasta huevo.” She stumbled through, practically cackling, gasping for breath at his terrible Spanish. She may not know this kid, but he was kind of funny. (Wasn’t it the same one who fell out of his seat in History?) (What was his name? Jonathan? Jeremy? Julio? Oh, whatever.)

 

 

The rest of the day flew by. Claire dutifully took notes (or pretended to), scribbling in the margins on occasion. She tried her best to pay attention. She had appearances to maintain, after all. She wasn’t an honours student for nothing. Unfortunately, she found her mind constantly drifting back to her curiosity over the mysterious relic. She couldn’t wait for a free moment to properly investigate it. Who lost it? How did it know her name? Was it actually magical? Was it worthless, or priceless? She barely heard the final bell, so lost in her musings she was.

 

For once, she was grateful for her parents’ constant away trips. She gave a shout when she came inside, just to be safe. When no response came, Claire dropped her stuff in the living room, checking the note her mother had left on the table (Enrique’s with them, don’t worry, they won’t be home until late, so find something to eat, etc). Her heart suddenly racing, Claire ran back to the door, locking it tightly, then drawing curtains and shutting blinds as she saw them. Call it paranoia, but Claire wasn’t taking any chances. (She didn’t know what these chances were, exactly, but she still wasn’t taking them.) 

 

She waited, eyes locked on the silver medallion (was it a medallion? This object was certainly leaving her with more questions and no answers whatsoever), waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. A faint blue glow pulsed from the artifact, but nothing else. No spooky voices, no ethereal winds, nothing. Claire sighed, dropping her head in her hands. There was no way she had imagined it saying her name. No way! She looked at it hopefully once more, but still no response. 

 

Claire couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment that ran over her. Instead, she chose to finally ignore it, opting to work on her school assignments. She needed to keep her grades up. She didn’t like to dwell on the consequences. And it was better to be doing homework than something else (she was working  _ really _ hard to control her impulses. She hadn’t cut her hair in weeks! And the burns on her fingers were almost completely healed! She could take some pride in that, right?). She shuffled her papers around, then pulled out a textbook to cross-reference her notes, fact-checking, then writing her answers on the other sheets of paper. Not too hard at all. She absentmindedly twirled her hair around her finger.

 

Before she knew it, it was practically nightfall. Due to her earlier shutting of blinds and curtains, the house was almost completely black. She blinked a few times, vision adjusting as she looked across the room. Was there something outside? She couldn’t really hear. She brushed her hair back behind her ear, wincing when she saw all the loose strands she must have pulled out. A muffled crash from the back yard startled her back to her senses. She flipped the light on, then dashed to the kitchen to grab a broom. (A broom wasn’t especially good defense, but at least her dad had insisted on one of the old-fashioned, solid wooden handled brooms. Those could really hurt if you wielded them right. And oh lord, her mother could.) She gripped the handle tightly, then pushed the back door open. “Hello?” She called. A rustle from the tree line just behind the fence caught her attention. She inched slowly across the yard, broom brandished ahead of her. “Who’s there?” At least her voice was stronger than she felt. Thank goodness for acting lessons. She could hide or add any emotion, heck yeah.

 

Nothing else happened for a few minutes. Claire’s shoulders fell. Maybe she was just overreacting again. Yep, blame the paranoia, definitely. She lowered the broom, eyes cast to the ground. With a dejected sigh, she turned around to go back inside. Instead, she was faced with something that made her scream. “AAAAARGHHH!!!” Six eyes blinked back at her, slightly out of sync. 

 

A deeper, rumbly voice responded. “No, three ‘r’s. AAARRRGGHH!!!, see? AAARRRGGHH!!!” Claire’s panicked eyes didn’t recognise that the huge green boulder was smiling. 

 

“AAAARRRGHH!!” She shrieked again, broom discarded in favour of her fingernails tearing at her cheeks. This couldn’t be happening. Talking rocks, in her backyard. Correcting her pronunciation of a scream? She almost laughed at the nonsense of it all. 

 

The six eyed blue monster reached for her with one arm (were those  _ four??? _ wow). “Closer, but please, do try to pronounce it correctly. It’s rather insulting to someone of as high repute as AAARRRGGHH!!! here.” Claire took a step back, then another, but bounced off of the green creature. Claire started hyperventilating. This was all so impossible. Her mother was going to  _ kill her _ . This was terrible! What could she do? She was babbling nonsensically at the two strange rocks, fingers still scratching her face (she needed to be more careful; she almost tore the skin around her eyes, which was very delicate). Then, dramatically, she fainted.

 

“Oh, dear. This is not going to plan at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, not a whole lot of action this chapter, but i'm just trying to get most of the introductory stuff out of the way right now. things'll hopefully be kicking up a little next chapter, with claire learning about trollhunting, as well as more jim + claire interactions ft. roju!! we'll see (i have bits of it already written out, so i'll either split the chapters, or it'll be. a lot bigger than the first couple have been lmao)
> 
> anyway give me feedback yo!!! kudos and comments are always appreciated! i love you guys so much
> 
> also big shout out to the one guest who gave this fic a kudos in the first half hour it was posted. i would die for you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kinda short and i might go back through and add more but anyway enjoy!! c:

Claire woke up in one of the lawn chairs her father had left outside. The stars twinkled overhead, street lights casting just enough light to see by. Claire sat up, looking around, confused. She hadn’t fallen asleep outside, had she…? She rubbed her head. 

 

“Ah! Madame Claire! You have awaken!” A bright, cheerful voice greeted her. Claire slowly took in the sight before her: two large… rock monsters. In her garden. Smiling at her. And calling her…. ‘madame’? She blinked a few times, wondering if she was finally cracking (further) and hallucinating. 

 

She decided to go along with it for the moment. “Wh-who are you?” Four pairs of eyes blinked at her. The blue one spoke first.

“I am Blinkous Galadrigal, preferably referred to as Blinky. This is my dear companion, AAARRRGGHH!!!” Blinky beamed at her.

 

“Three ‘r’s.” The green one (AAARRRGGHH!!!, she presumed) held up three fingers. Oh, yes. She vaguely remembered this conversation. She had been screaming then, she thought. Maybe these were friendly creatures.

 

“Um, not to sound rude, but…  _ what _ are you?” 

 

“We are trolls, Madame Claire! We live beneath your very feet, coexisting in (almost) perfect harmony. We are as ancient as the earth itself, or very nearly. And it is now that we come to you, our new Trollhunter!” His toothy smile felt much too large to Claire. “It is the most sacred of offices, and what an honour it is for you, the first human to ever hold the mantle! Please allow AAARRRGGHH!!! and myself to assist in your training. There is much for you to learn, and, unfortunately, not very much time currently to teach you.” He clasped both pairs of hands in front of him. 

 

It was then that Claire noticed the silvery, glowing relic sitting next to her. Okay, she was definitely sure she had left that inside. “Are you talking about this?” She asked, holding it up.

 

“Amulet chose,” AAARRRGGHH!!! said solemnly.

 

Amulet, huh. Better than just calling it “silvery relic”.

 

Blinky stepped closer to her. “Yes, Merlin’s amulet- the Amulet of Daylight. It has chosen you, Madame Claire. Will you accept it?”

 

Claire stared at it. It glowed softly in her hand. She tightened her hold on it. She already did so much- she was an honour student (plus her extra AP classes), she took care of her baby brother, her mother was councilwoman, and that was a lot of pressure in itself (especially with Claire’s… problem. Her mother could be very passive aggressive about that), actually coping with said Problem, could she actually manage this “trollhunting” business?

 

She knew she was supposed to be controlling her impulses. “I- I, this is. Really sudden, sir. Can… can I think it over?” She already knew she was going to accept it. The amulet had chosen her, right? Could she even technically back out of it? “I promise I’ll have an answer tomorrow.”

 

Blinky nodded. “Of course, Madame Claire. We will await your response, and come back tomorrow evening. Just remember- time is of the essence!”

 

Apparently he could still see the look of apprehension on Claire’s face. AAARRRGGHH!!! had already turned to leave, somehow blending formlessly into the trees. Blinky wrung his four hands, searching her garden for the words he needed. He seemed to have found them, though, as his six eyes met hers, hard as steel. Claire braced herself for whatever he was about to say next. (This was a troll, she was human, could he give her the encouragement she actually needed?)

 

“Destiny is a gift.” He twisted his fingers. “Some go their entire lives, living existence as a quiet desperation. Never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders, is actually, a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights.” He raised his towards the skies to emphasise his point. “Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valour, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear, is what it means to be a hero. Don't think, Madame Claire.” His warm smile was full of reassurance. “Become!”

 

Claire’s breath caught in her throat. She was still clutching the amulet close to her. Blinky patted her hand, six eyes twinkling. “AAARRRGGHH!!! and I will return tomorrow. Rest and think well. There will be much to discuss then.” And with that, he, too, was gone.

 

Claire stood outside, thumb tracing the ridges of the amulet. The wind pulled at her choppy hair. Within minutes, the only sound was that of the crickets and the breeze through untrimmed grass. Of all the things she had ever imagined, this day was not one of them.

 

She stood up, looking carefully at what she now knew was the amulet of daylight. If she focussed, the squiggles around the edge looked kind of like writing. As she examined it, the lines transformed, shifting around until…

 

“Whoa!” The letters had rearranged into something more legible. More English. “For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command,” she read aloud. “Huh.” Then, the amulet flashed an even brighter blue, slowly rising out of her hand. That was unexpected. As she watched, the amulet fastened itself to her blazer, and then, she, too, was rising into the air. Shining silver armour materialised out of thin air. With a  _ snap _ the various pieces attached to her body. At first, they were much too large, but they shrunk to fit. Claire could feel a strange new energy flowing through her body. She stretched her fingers, admiring the glistening metal that encased them. “Wow.” This was pretty incredible.

 

As she took it all in, a smile spread across her face. This was  _ amazing! _ How could she say no to something as awesome as this?! She wondered what all the amulet could do. At her thought, almost as if summoned, a sword formed in her hand. It was huge. Could she even wield something this size? “Ay Dios mio, está pesado,” she grunted. She would need all four of Blinky’s hands to be able to even hold the blade, let alone use it. Much to her surprise, it shrank, as well. Soon, it was a comfortable size and weight. Much easier to handle. She lifted it up, admiring the blade. So much cooler than the swords at the museum. With a smirk, she tried to pose with it. Claire Nuñez- heroine extraordinaire!

 

And then, her parents came home. Perfect timing, as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i decided to split up this chapter and because i can't figure out how to add the Second Meeting with Trolls we are going to Ignore it and assume she accepted, Blinky tells her "yay! you're the trollhunter and we Are Going to Train You." and then we're going to jump straight to the terrible roju audition scene i already wrote. congrats guys
> 
> anyway kudos, comments, feedback are all appreciated!! you guys are so nice and i try to take into account everything y'all say! 
> 
>  
> 
> EDIT: i'm finagling next chapter there's not going to be like explicit meeting scenes between claire and the trolls, but there'll be more explanationy stuff you'll see ig thank u see you soon


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so there's not another scene with claire and the trolls, and she hasn't gone to trollmarket yet, but she knows a little bit more
> 
> this is kind of a filler chapter (god what chapter hasn't been there hasn't been ANY plot yet but shhh)  
> anyway have some merry little auditions

The next few days of Claire’s life went by in a whirlwind. With coming to terms with being a troll hunter ( _ the _ Trollhunter, Blinky kept reminding her), and staying on top of her classes, and managing home life (how was she ever supposed to take care of her baby brother when she was supposed to protect both human- and trollkind?), Claire found herself at the end of the week already. Fortunately, in managing all of her other roles, she had kept up rehearsing her lines, and was very hopeful she could get  _ this _ role. (Part of her wondered if she shouldn’t do the audition. She had so many other things on her plate. The other part of her argued that this was HUGE. She couldn’t just drop  _ Romeo and Juliet _ , which was, like, her dream play!! No way, no how! That part of her won out.) When she had had the spare time, Darci and Shannon had helped her out, too. Darci was also going to be auditioning, and Claire sincerely hoped she got in. At least they weren’t super competitive (and Darci was lowkey hoping to get Mercutio because he’s Fun while Romeo and Juliet are Dramatic and Boring). 

 

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! had been rather interested when Claire told them she was into theatre. Blinky had told her about some of the facets of troll drama, and Claire found herself very curious. Maybe after auditions she would ask Blinky more about it. She was just glad that the two trolls had been so encouraging and supportive. She vaguely understood that there were lots of other things to worry about, aside from just figuring out the amulet and armour, but right now she found herself rather hyperfocused on  _ Romeo and Juliet _ . Too bad! Acting was everything to her! It had  _ always  _ been her dream.

 

She tried to remind herself of that when the bell rang and class let out. Nothing between her and auditions now. She trudged slowly out of the classroom, biting her lip, grip on the strap of her bag tightening. She ran lines in her head, trying not to let any leak out of her ears or something. But even at her slow, snail-like pace, she found herself in front of the auditorium far sooner than she would have liked. She sighed. This was it. No time for silly jitterbugs and stomach butterflies. Only words and passion and  _ acting _ .  _ RoJu _ , Claire,  _ RoJu. _

  
  
  
  


Claire was already nervous about play auditions, but she absolutely panicked when her armour flashed on. Why was it here? What was going on? Was she in some sort of danger? She kept tugging at the amulet on her chest, repeatedly asking it to go away. Her heart fluttered in her chest, racing a thousand miles an hour. What if someone saw her like this? She was sworn to secrecy and she knew Blinky would definitely kill her if something happened and someone found out. When the amulet refused to come off, Claire resorted to pulling at her hair. She couldn’t go on stage like this! She was auditioning for the role of Juliet, not Romeo! She moaned in exasperation, her silver plated fingers scraping down her face, leaving thin red lines behind.

 

A voice behind her made her shoot three feet into the air. “Whoa, Claire, that’s a neat costume! Is it for auditions?” Claire whipped around, only to find herself facing that boy from gym class (oh! that was his name- Jim), whose eyes were roaming curiously over her armour. “Did you make it yourself? That’s really impressive,” he smiled nervously at her. “I definitely won’t get the part if this is the competition.”

 

Claire barked out a laugh. “Um, no, don’t say that! I’m sure you’ll get in!”  _ Besides, aren’t we trying out for different roles? _ She ran her hand through her hair, wincing when the armor pulled at her scalp. “Good- good luck, though. I’m sure you’ll do great, Jim.” She tried to smile convincingly. To her surprise, Jim turned bright pink, stammering some excuses and leaving as quickly as he came. Claire stared after him.

 

“Okay, well, I’ll still just do my best. I’ve got my lines memorised. I can do this. I can do this!” She clenched her fists, willing herself to be strong. She had this. She’d been practising for weeks; there was no way something silly like her armour would lose her the part. She found her way backstage, just catching the tail end of someone else’s monologue. A few feeble claps followed. Claire swallowed nervously, hoping she’d get a better response than whoever just went. She paced around, tense, silver boots tapping the dull wooden floor. She whispered her lines to herself, reminding herself of the words, imitating her usual blocking. Everything would be a-okay. She kept telling herself that as she was called to the stage.

 

She wasn’t surprised when the audience gave a collective gasp at her armour. She steeled herself, giving her name and desired role when Ms Janeth asked, then launched into her own part. As she spoke, she let the emotions take over her, pouring everything into her acting. Juliet was her dream role, and she was going to get the part, so help her. The words flowed out of her, escaping from her lips as if to find their own freedom. One hand lifted toward the sky as she drew to a close, “When he shall die, take him and cut him out into little stars and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun.” Her breath fell out of her in a gentle rush as the audience burst into applause. A small smile brushed across her face as she looked at the people. Did she do all right? (Judging by the little stars in Ms Janeth’s eyes, she sure hoped so.) She gave a quick bow and a “thank you!” before hurrying off stage. She almost ran smack into two kids, both gushing about how amazing she did, and getting more compliments on her armour. (Oh gosh she still  _ really _ needed to get this off, didn’t she?)

 

Claire stayed in the wings, the other students disappearing, one going on stage. Claire certainly hoped she did a good enough job to get the part. What would she do if she didn’t? Maybe it would be okay to get a different role…. Mercutio maybe? She could laugh with her parents about having the same role as what her cat was named after. (Maybe Darci would get Tybalt. Of all the ways to die, Claire would rather Darci kill her than, say, her mom.) It was best not to get her hopes up, though. There were still other auditions, still a chance….

 

She had almost tuned out the other tryouts completely. A few more smatterings of claps signalled the end of someone else’s turn. Claire was about to leave backstage (she should figure out how to get the armour off, and then go home) when the next person started. His voice started off unsure, cracking slightly (did he forget the words?) but he slowly found his confidence. "Destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives, living existence as a quiet desperation,” he paused, searching. “Never learning the truth- that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders, is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights.  _ Never _ forget that fear is but the precursor to valour, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear, is what is means to be a hero.” His voice was stronger now, more sure. Claire could feel the power in his words. “Don't think. Become!" He sure sounded like a hero. Claire crossed her fingers, hoping that he was Romeo (the Romeo to her Juliet). He sounded like a good actor, and he was certainly better than some of the others who had tried out. Claire peered around the curtain, only to find herself making direct eye contact with him.  _ Jim _ . Jim was the one who just went? The audience’s applause was still roaring in her ears. Why would he ever think he wasn’t good enough? If his audition was anything to go off of, he would be an absolutely enthralling lead. 

 

Jim smiled nervously at her, cheeks dusted with pink again. He turned back to Ms Janeth for a second, thanking her for her time, before making his way over to Claire. She gulped, stepping back behind the heavy velvet curtains (she thought wildly that it wasn’t real velvet, of course it wasn’t, the school didn’t have the money to afford real velvet for the curtains), and started panicking again when her armour dissolved. Luckily, she had hidden just before Jim got to where she was, therefore unable to see the magic. At least, she hoped he didn’t see. That would be  _ really _ difficult to explain. She made her escape- a quick getaway through the side doors. (She was becoming very good at running from her problems.)

 

It was only when Claire got home (flopped on her bed, exhausted and utterly worn out) that she realised Jim’s “monologue” used almost the exact words Blinky had  said to her the night when they first met. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyyy foreshadowing??? or stupidity????? find out some other time when i actually figure out what i'm doing
> 
> i promise we'll get some actual plot soon (or at least fun stuff that has like. character interactions and actual (dare i say it) dialogue)
> 
> thanks so much for reading!! as always, kudos, comments, and feedback are always appreciated!! i love interacting with you guys y'all are all the best :')


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof guess who's back in school (this guy) so that's part of why this chapter is so late in coming. i'm gonna try and keep updating every few days, almost definitely once a week though. 
> 
> anyway, claire's first trip to trollmarket, huh? doesn't quite go to plan, but.... oh, well!
> 
> also big shout out to IncognitoPhenomenon for helping claire overthink sfdjdfhk thank you

After a long and restless night, Claire awoke to her parents leaving. The roar of the engine and the crunch of gravel confused her for a second, before she remembered it was Saturday. She fell back on her bed, closing her eyes. She had the whole weekend to overthink and stress out over what was probably nothing. Her head ached. She had barely slept at all, trying to figure out how Jim had known those words. Blinky’s words to  _ her. _ There was only one logical answer, though. She had thought long and hard about it.

 

Jim was Blinky’s son.

 

That  _ had _ to be it. It was the only thing that made sense. Unless Jim, like, stalked her or something, which was definitely out of character for him. She didn’t know him all that well, but she had only ever heard good things about him. And he sure seemed like a sweet kid. Good actor. Which must be how he hid that his father was a troll. Trolls couldn’t be out in daylight, they had told her, so it made sense that he would say his father was gone, rather than, you know, a  _ troll _ .

 

Man, she was so smart. But she would wait to ask Blinky about it.

  
  


She opened her eyes again, staring at the ceiling. She knew there was no hope of her falling back asleep. When she glanced at the clock, she saw it was definitely way too early to be awake. She groaned, rubbing her eyes. She missed the days of sleeping until noon. Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, she made the commitment. No going back. She yawned.

 

When she got to the kitchen, she gave silent thanks to her father for leaving some coffee behind for her. Small blessings. Still hot, too. Even better. Claire grabbed her usual mug, pouring her coffee and then adding a heathenous amount of cream and sugar. She was so grateful her mother wasn’t home to berate her. 

 

There was a note on the fridge. Claire gave it a quick look. Her parents weren’t home, gone for the day (as usual), and oh  _ thank _ they had taken Enrique. She had an absolutely free day. She took another swallow of coffee, savouring the sweet warmth. 

 

“But what to do with your day, now, Claire?” She asked herself. She had finished most of her homework, wasn’t going to look at the  _ RoJu _ script until she heard back about roles and such, and she didn’t have to look after her little brother. She continued to think as she downed the rest of her coffee and went back upstairs to properly get dressed. 

 

She had just pulled on her favourite blazer when the first pebble hit her window. She groaned. This was going to be the fifth time she told Steve to stop throwing rocks. Why couldn’t he ever listen?? She stomped over, throwing the window up, about to shout. Her voice died in her throat. No one was there. Hmph. She started to slide the window closed again. Another pebble bounced up, landing on the sill. Claire narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

 

“Madame Claire! Apologies for not being more easily visible, but, unfortunately, it is daytime and it is impossible to make a proper appearance.”

 

Claire peered around, searching for the source of the voice. Ah! There, hiding in the shadows of the trees. How they managed to hide so well escaped her.

 

“I’ll be right down, Blinky!” She called back, pulling her window down and her shoes on. Well, now she had something to do! She loved learning more about trolls. And Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! were really fun to be around! Grinning, Claire raced down the stairs and out the back door. 

 

“What are we doing today, Blinky?” She asked. 

 

He smiled, gesturing for them all to walk. “Today, Madame Claire, we are going to bring you to our home beneath your very feet. It will be a true start to your training! There is much for you to learn, and where better than-”

 

“You’re taking me to Trollmarket?!” Claire was ecstatic. She practically skipped as they made their way through the woods. 

 

“Yes. Show you our home,” AAARRRGGHH!!! smiled warmly.

 

Blinky was not pleased with interruption. “We are going to show you more than just where we live, Madame Claire. We are going to teach you, instruct you, and guide you. You are the Trollhunter! It is a sacred obligation. And, as the protector of trollkind, you must know how to protect! The culture, history, our very nature. You must be able to understand, Madame Claire. It is more than just using a sword or wearing the armour. It is defending our very lives, and yours, too.” 

 

“So, how do we get into Trollmarket?” Claire had wondered about that since the trolls had first told her of its existence. 

 

“Have no worries, we shall show you,” Blinky replied. Claire beamed. She was so excited! From what Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! had told her, it was much different from Arcadia. And there were going to be trolls everywhere! Plus, it was called Troll  _ Market _ , so were there going to be a bunch of vendors and people selling stuff? Was it more of a tourist stop than a proper town? She had so many questions. It was underground, would she even be able to see anything? Or would there be phosphorescent mushrooms everywhere to light the way? She couldn’t wait to find out.

 

It took her a second to figure out where they were when the trees started to thin. “The canals?” Trollmarket was under the canals? “Hey, this is where I found the amulet in the first place! Was Kanjigar trying to get back to Trollmarket when he fought Bular? Is that why he didn’t get back- because he didn’t want to let Bular get in? Didn’t you say Trollmarket is protected by, like, a ward or something to keep Gumm-Gumms out? Do you guys even  _ need _ a trollhunter if you have that?” Her questions kept pouring out of her mouth in a long-winded stream. She didn’t even seem to be running out of breath. 

 

“Great Gronka Morka! You are full to the brim with questions, aren’t you, Madame Claire? An inquisitive spirit such as yours is to be greatly admired!” Blinky seemed pleased. He didn’t answer any of her questions, though, as he pulled out an orange stick-like rock from a pouch at his side. He used it to draw a semicircle on the shaded wall of the canal. Then he tapped inside the line, the stone cracking and rippling like liquid. “Now, come, Madame Claire. Your destiny awaits!” He vanished within the shifting rock.

 

AAARRRGGHH!!! gave her a gentle push. “Go through,” he said simply. Claire looked at him, and then at the entrance. Her smile returned to her face, eyebrows shifting down in determination. And then they stepped through.

  
  


Claire didn’t feel anything when she walked through. It was as if the rock layer didn’t even exist! When she looked behind her, though, the portal was gone. Solid rock met her hand. “Huh,” she said to herself. She looked all around the cavern, her eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness. Further down, she could hear faint noises. That must be the heart of Trollmarket!

 

Blinky opened his mouth to speak. “Now, before we descend, Madame Claire, a word of caution and of advice-” once more, he was cut off. This time, however, it was by Claire completely ignoring him and racing down the crystal stairs. 

 

As they lit up beneath her feet, Claire nearly shrieked with glee. This was more incredible than she could have imagined! Stairs that lit up when you walked on them? Amazing! She didn’t even know motion activated crystals existed! (Then she wondered if they were motion activated, or pressure activated, as they had started glowing when she stepped on them, but maybe she had missed something. She would ask Blinky about it later.) She whooped loudly, her footsteps practically soundless as she skidded into the clearing. 

 

The scene that met her eyes astounded her. It truly was a troll market. There were trolls all around her, shouting and laughing and exchanging items for other things. Some seemed to use metal like currency, while others traded goods. Claire gazed around the massive area with delight. But the best part by far was the enormous, softly glowing orange crystal in the center of the town. “The Heartstone,” she breathed. She took a few steps forward, just taking it all in. She accidently bumped into another troll, and she apologised quietly. Her attention was elsewhere.

 

Until the trolls became aware of her presence. Shouts of exclamation met her ears, but she didn’t recognise them at first, still focused on the Heartstone. “A human!!” Trolls around her were angry, shocked, afraid. Claire snapped back to attention, her armour suddenly flaring in response. Further gasps escaped the surprised citizens. 

 

Blinky and AAARRRGGHH!!! made their way through the panicking crowd, trying to reach their student. “Ah, Madame Claire, please…” Blinky reached for her, two of his other arms seeking reassurance from the green pacifist beside him. 

 

“What is the meaning of this!” An irritated voice grumbled. Claire whirled around. Making his way toward her was a tall white troll with huge curving horns, and even bigger hands. A large orangey-golden staff tapped along the ground as he continued grumbling.

 

Blinky stepped in front of Claire, fumbling over his words in an attempt to explain and assuage the trolls’ fears. His many arms gestured every which way, not helping his argument. The taller troll stared at Blinky with apathetic exasperation. Claire rolled her eyes, pushing Blinky away from her. 

 

The sword of Daylight flashed into her hand, stunning the trolls around them. “I am your new Trollhunter, and I am here to learn and to help you all.” People started muttering, noises of confusion and dissent stirring the crowd. 

 

The white troll thumped his staff on the ground to silence them. “Hmph! Impossible!” He spat. “A human Trollhunter? Absolutely preposterous!” He eyed her warily.

 

“Indeed,” another voice growled. Claire’s eyes flicked to the newcomer. “I am Draal, the Destroyer. That amulet was my father’s, and  _ I _ am the rightful heir, fleshbag.” He snarled at her. Claire lifted the sword higher.

 

“Amulet.  _ Chose _ .” AAARRRGGHH!!! came to her defense. 

 

“I refuse to believe this!” The grumpy old troll pointed his staff as Blinky and the gang. “I want explanations, Blinkous. Come with me.” He began angrily tromping away. Draal sneered at Claire, silently asking for a fight. Claire met his gaze steadily, letting Daylight dissolve from her hand. She wasn’t going to fight any troll today. She had more important things to do. She followed Blinky, AAARRRGGHH!!! trailing behind her. 

 

Even though she felt like she was in trouble, Claire couldn’t help but admire Trollmarket. She was still tense from the opposition at the top of the market, but she was still awestruck by the grandeur of the place. All the trolls seemed unique, as well. Claire felt like she could spend years in this place and still find something new every day. Trollmarket was everything she had imagined, and more! With each step, she saw something different. She just wanted to get out there and explore everything!

 

And it seemed she was about to get a chance. The white troll appeared to have come to a stop. “No, no, just Blinkous. You two go elsewhere.” He shooed them away with a massive paw. Her blue friend blinked nervously at her, but nodded, his lower arm flapping at them. Claire looked at AAARRRGGHH!!! for guidance. He blinked at her, too. They both shrugged. 

 

“Show her to my library, would you, AAARRRGGHH!!!? I’ll join you there shortly.” And then Blinky was gone.

 

“Blinky has his own library?” AAARRRGGHH!!! nodded. Cool. Claire had no idea what sort of books she might find there. Blinky seemed to have interest in a variety of subjects. She wondered vaguely what troll fiction was like. Did they even have books like that? Surely, they had  _ some _ imagination? 

  
  
  


It was roughly two hours and twelve books later (Claire mostly just skimming and flipping, not really comprehending the troll language just yet) when Blinky returned to them. Claire shut the book she was holding with a heavy snap, shooting to her feet. “What happened? What did he say? Did you get in trouble?” She carded her fingers through her hair. 

 

“No, not exactly. Vendel was, er, well, confused, shall we say, with the present circumstances, and requested an explanation.” Blinky knitted both sets of fingers together.

 

“And it took two hours?!” Claire exclaimed.

 

Blinky’s finger knitting sped up, tangling. “He wanted a very thorough explanation.”

 

Claire sat back down. She looked at the amulet, where she had left it on the table after she calmed down enough for the armour to dissolve. She toyed with it for a second. “What did he say? Does he want me to… to give up the amulet?”

  
Blinky looked surprised. “No, not at all! He is, in fact, rather calm about this. Once I explained everything, he seemed to accept it. You will make an excellent Trollhunter, Madame Claire. And you mustn’t let anyone make you think otherwise.” He smiled reassuringly. Claire smiled back, a weight she hadn’t even noticed lifting from her shoulders. She clutched the amulet tightly in her hand. Blinky was right: she _was_ going to be a great Trollhunter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yayyy claire's the trollhunter and vendel is accepting!! (supposedly) also i know we didn't see much of draal but he's gonna come back dw
> 
> the ending was super rushed because i'm tired and haven't really thought this out whoops
> 
> feel free to leave suggestions for where this should go! i'm running out of ideas fast, so feedback would be SUPER appreciated
> 
> please leave some kudos, comments, whatever you feel like givin i love y'all sm okay? 
> 
> and like i said earlier, i'm gonna be getting a lot busier now that school's started back up (ap theory is going to be a BIG oof) but i'm gonna keep working! if any of y'all wanna keep in touch somewhere besides ao3 hmu!!! i don't bite, i swear


End file.
